asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have plans to provide a system whereby those persons who are severely mentally or physically handicapped can be provided with a dedicated advocate to guide them through complex multi-departmental, interdepartmental and agency matters; and, if so, at what age they would be entitled to the services of a dedicated advocate.[HL552]

The department supports the development of advocacy in many different ways. It has a Section 64 funding stream through which it funds each year a number of very important advocacy projects. It also encourages the health service to fund mental health advocacy through a number of initiatives such as developing an advocacy training qualification to ensure advocacy is consistently of high quality. Perhaps the most important support for advocacy has been through the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which will, in April 2007, introduce statutory advocacy for persons who are severely mentally incapacitated and who have no other family or friends to assist them in making complex decisions.

The department has no plans to make dedicated advocates available to every individual with severe disabilities. However, the department expects there to be a steady increase in advocacy over the next few years and for people with severe disabilities to benefit from this increase.